I called Shann after I got off work today,“Am in Grand Central, wanna meet somewhere to eat something?”“Okay! What?”“Urm, gelato, Chinese food, cake or pie. Or Cornbread. I really want cornbread”“Erm, okay. Anything but cornbread.”“Bah. hmmmmm”“hmmmmm”“hm?”“hmmmm” “Okay then, let’s eat cake at Pinisi for dinner!”And so we did.

I arrived at Pinisi 15 minutes before Shann and hung out with the owners, Andy and his wife, who have quickly become our close friends. There’s nothing quite like walking into a bakery, being welcomed by name, having treats set aside for you, knowing that it’s all delicious, and feeling right at home. It’s like home in Hawaii, only in New York! ;)But tonight was extra special. Cause Andy had a plan in mind! It was Shann’s birthday last week, but she was out of town in Boston, so we never had a proper chance to celebrate with cake at Pinisi. But Andy had a solution (he always does! :). He pulled a dazzling fruit tart out of the dessert case, and set off to the back of the kitchen…And then came back out right when Shann walked in the bakery…and SURPRISE!!! Happy Birthday Shann!Here’s Shann, Andy and his wife! :)Isn’t this just darling?! The fact that it was uber-delicious also helped! Instead of a normal custard filling, this particular fruit tart was home to fresh blueberry creme, topped with more blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, AND raspberries! I love this place! What other bakery owners remembers your apartment-mate’s birthday and surprises them without you even asking?!What other bakery owner are curious to learn of you Thanksgiving plans, how your parents are doing, what’d you eat for lunch, and how was your long and boring commute to work this morning?And of course, even though we always enter Pinisi with the intention of sharing one slice of something…that erm, NEVER HAPPENS. And I knew it would not happen again this time the instant I spotted the APPLE-PUMPKIN GALETTE!!!!Omigoodness, was my first thought! I’ve been craving pumpkin desserts like a crazy madwoman for the last few weeks. PUMPKIN seems to be the only thing I think about all day. I wake up in the morning and warm pumpkin bread is the first thing I want to eat. My tummy grumbles near lunchtime, and I just want pumpkin mascarpone ravioli. And at night, I crave pumpkin pudding, gelato, creme brulee, PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING (oh dear god, how awesome that would be!), pumpkin pie, pumpkin this and that. I am going innnnsane. SO. Yes. Apple-Pumpkin Galette had my written allll over it. So we had a slice. And it was just like you would imagine. Outrageous, sliced apples piled high with layers of pumpkin custard weaved throughout. It’s the best of both worlds, a spiced apple pie, creamy pumpkin custard pie, all wrapped together in a flaky, sugar glazed crust. And Baked. And Eaten. Nonono, more like devoured with gusto!And then, with tart and galette in tummies, Shann and I were on a roll. We couldn’t stop. Not quite yet! ;) Alan’s wife just rolled out a new line of savoury deep fried goodies. These croquettes and deep fried pouches of curry stuffed breads are frequently found in Hawaii, but much less often in New York. Whyyyyy? I do not know, but I wish it was not so :(We first savoured the curry chicken puff, a fist sized poof of soft dough filled with a creamy chicken curry, panko dusted, and fried, fried, fried till dark brown, crisp and gorgeous. The curry could use to be more aggressively seasoned, but other than that, there’s nothing I can complain about! :)The corn croquette featured a blend of corn kernels, onions and mashed potatoes, mixed flattened out, then fried. I love fried food. Hehe. It’s terrible really, but sooo delicious. Whoever thought that dunking food in vats of hot oil would increase its magical tastiness by ten bazillion???! A crisp shell and creamy innards spotted with sweet corn. You bite and it’s like crunchy, soft, crunchy, soft, you get the idea…AWESOME. I preferred the croquette more, while Shann liked the curry puff better – each to his/her own I supposed, but either way, you’re bound to be happy!

After our parade or sweet and savoury deliciousness, we patted our bellies full, reconfirmed our Thanksgiving pie orders, and said thank you & good-bye to Andy and his wife and walked out the door. We leave with the same expression we always happen to find on our faces after a visit to Pinisi’s: one of utter content :)We walked down 1st Ave, past 3rd, 2nd, and 1st Sreet. And somewhere, sometime before hitting Houston the same thought occurred out-loud to Shann and I:“Wanna eat something salty?!”“Whoa, I was going to say the same thing!”“Cool!”Haha. We live and eat together so frequently that one can often think exactly what the other is thinking. And crave the same thing the other craves. At the same moment. Creeeeepy! “I want fries!”“Yeah! Me too! Pomme Frites?!”“oooh, salty, hot!”“I want something super salty and super hot!”“Oooh HOT DOG!”“Oh man. Yeah! Hooooot dogs!”“I haven’t had one in a long time!”“I haven’t had one since Chicago!”And so we ended up at Dash Dogs, just blocks from our dear little apartment on Rivington. We craved something hot, preferably savoury. This Cilantro-Garlic baby satisfied our cravings just so, with a healthy serving of garlic aioli and cilantro salsa. The bun rubbery and near tough dog alone were mediocre (pathetic really, considering hot dogs are the only item they sell!), but throw on fatty delicious toppings, and that just really hit the spot!

Hey Kat!!haha, I’m pretty full too! ;)Hey Kirk!lol, you’d be scared to find out how often we eat (lots of) cake for dinner, ehehehe! ;)Hey Bean_mix!oooo, dieting friends are no fun! Maybe you can all split cake? One bite is better than no bite! And yes, I am totally up for adopting lol! :)

Love your blog! As a local planning an extended visit to NY I really appreciate the Hawaii tie. I was wondering what you meant by “These croquettes and deep fried pouches of curry stuffed breads are frequently found in Hawaii, but much less often in New York.” Where can we find these here?? I would love to eat a curry filled malasada :) Perhaps you are referring to the pieroski place in Chinatown?PS-have you been to boudain’s place yet or le bernadin?